Utility lines, such as lines for telephones, electricity distribution, natural gas, cable television, fiber optics, Internet, traffic lights, street lights, storm drains, water mains, and wastewater pipes, are often located underground. Said utility lines described above are referred to as “buried assets” herein. Consequently, before excavation occurs in an area, especially an urban area, an excavator is typically required to clear excavation activities with the proper authorities and service providers. The clearance procedure usually requires that the excavator contact a central authority (such as “One Call”, “811” and “Call Before You Dig.” which are well known in the art) which, in turn, sends a notification to the appropriate utility companies. Subsequently, each utility company must perform a buried asset detection procedure, which includes having a field technician visit the proposed excavation site, detecting the relevant buried assets and physically marking the position of the buried asset using temporary paint or flags. The device used for marking the ground with paint or spray paint is referred to as a handheld paint marking device, a paint stick, a spray paint can or a handheld marker wand.
Usually, a field technician visiting a proposed excavation site utilizes a portable electronic device known as a pipe or cable locator, an electromagnetic locate device (“ELD”), an electromagnetic locator, a buried asset locate device, or a buried asset locator (collectively referred to herein as an “ELD”). Said ELDs are commercial, off-the-shelf, devices employed to detect and identify the position of buried assets. ELDs are usually used in conjunction with a transmitter, so as to create an electromagnetic field that can be detected by the ELD. The ELD typically contains multiple ferrite or air cored antennae, arranged at various geometries to the target pipe or cable, that detect the low-level signals radiating from the target conductor. The operator performs certain physical motions with the ELD such as sweeping across the assumed target path, rotating and lifting, all while the ELD must be orientated correctly to the plane of the buried asset to ensure correct geometric alignment with the radiated electromagnetic field. The field technician must then interpret and deduce from the displayed ELD information the location and position of the buried conductor. The process of detecting and marking out a buried asset using an ELD is referred to herein as a buried asset locate procedure, buried asset location procedure, or a buried asset detection procedure.
The aforementioned buried asset location procedure, however, takes time and training to master. There are a variety of techniques that the field technician must learn in order to perform buried asset location procedures in a way that meets best practice standards. Often, the field technician may spend a significant amount of time at a training facility learning proper techniques and then perform an apprenticeship afterwards. Even after completing the aforementioned training and apprenticeship, buried asset location procedures can be difficult and tedious to perform, especially in commonly occurring complex environments, that include multiple buried assets, which can cause signal interference and field distortion that can easily confuse the technician, leading to the incorrect identification, location and marking of the target asset's position. Resulting damages to the target or 3rd party buried assets during excavation are costly and hazardous to human life.
Additionally, the performance of conventional ELDs is limited by the number of, geometry and distance between the electromagnetic antennas located in the ELD for sensing electromagnetic fields. Said distance between antennas limits the depth at which the buried asset can be detected.
The difficulties and the dependence on human interpretation of data associated with performing buried asset located procedures are compounded by the fact that, technologically, conventional ELDs have not developed much in the last 30 years. As a result, the technology within most conventional ELDs on the market and in the field is, for the most part, antiquated. Consequently, conventional ELDs are not currently benefiting from the technological advancements that are currently available.
Therefore, a need exists for improvements over the prior art, and more particularly for more safe, efficient methods and systems for performing buried asset locate procedures.